Must a School Report a Prison Education Program As an Additional Location?

"The institution must be prepared to provide the following information on the PEP Approval Form:

• The name of the educational program.
• A description of the program, including the educational credential offered (degree level or certificate) and the field of study.
• Name and address of correctional facility to be reported as an additional location.

The institution must be prepared to confirm the following on the PEP Approval Form:

• That the credits in the program can transfer to another eligible public/nonprofit institution.
• That the program meets licensure requirements (if applicable).
• That it will not enroll an incarcerated individual into a PEP if there is a prohibition on the individual qualifying for professional licensure or employment based on the individual’s conviction (if applicable).
• That no adverse actions have been taken against the institution by its accreditor or state approval agency in the last five years, and accrediting agencies have not initiated adverse actions.

The institution must be prepared to provide:

• Accrediting agency approval of the PEP.
• Accrediting agency approval of the additional location where the PEP is located.
• Oversight entity (correctional agency) approval. The oversight entity’s plans to assess each of the required items under “best interest determination” as outlined in  34 CFR § 668.241(a)(1).  Note that this is not that actual assessment, just the steps that the oversight entity plans to take to be ready to evaluate the required items in two years.
• Types of services offered to admitted students, including orientation, tutoring, and academic and reentry counseling.
• Affirmative acknowledgement that the Department can limit or terminate approval of an institution to provide a PEP, as described in 34 CFR § 668.240.
• Assurance that the institution will submit all required reports to the Secretary as described in 34 CFR § 668.239.
• Documentation that the institution has entered into an agreement with the oversight entity to obtain data about transfer and release dates of incarcerated individuals, which must be reported to the Department.
• A summary of how the oversight entity initially approved the PEP. The summary must include the intended methodology, including thresholds, benchmarks, standards, metrics, data, and other information and how the oversight entity plans to collect the information required by 34 CFR § 668.238(b)(4).
• Any other documentation related to the PEP that may be requested by the School Participation Division during the application process."